Deep Within The Darkness
by TheBrokenGirl
Summary: "A world swallowed by darkness can summon the darkness." With Ansem and Organisation XIII gone, can Sora and Kairi ever live a normal life again? Perhaps Destiny Islands wasn't all they sought out to be. All new adventure for the infamous trio, but what's in store for Kairi?
1. Nightmares

_There are strange things that live in my dreams. My memories and thoughts become a vision. I can reach into them and touch them. I remember the darkness. I remember the shadows crawling up my legs, slick, dark and dangerous. Then I was running. Running away from the darkness that tried to bring me down. That tries to bring the worlds down. _

_I scream. The foul shadow had filled my lungs. I was drowning. I couldn't breathe. The shadows found their way to my heart, slowly pulling it away from me. They were stealing it… They were stealing my heart!_

* * *

Sora slowly awoke from his nightmare. Beads of sweat rolled down his bare chest as he sat himself up. He buried his head into his hands before taking in a deep breath. The sound of the ocean drifted into the room, a haunting sound to the ears. It was a recurring nightmare, one that has followed him three years. The door to Kingdom Hearts was closed for good, Ansem was gone. There was no way he was going to come back. Goofy and Donald were off serving King Mickey, just as they had always wanted. Riku… He needed time to recover, taking off to Deep Jungle to live with Jane and Tarzan to collect his thoughts. And then there was Kairi. Sora moaned into his hands.

"Sora?" There was a tentative knock on the door. He knew whose voice it belonged to. A voice he was joyful to hear every day, from the morning to the night. Sora had returned to Destiny Islands with her, wanting to make up for the time he spent without her, the time he had also spent looking for her. When there was no reply, she let herself in.

"Kairi," Her name left his mouth softly in a greeting only they shared on the late nights she visited him. Those were the nights when neither of them could sleep through the nightmares. For the first year, she would walk into his room, curl up beside him and cry in his arms, afraid that the nightmares could reach her and pull her back into the darkness. Sora had felt exactly the same, yet tried to stay strong for her. On the nights she didn't come, that was when he would stare up at carved out ceiling, wondering if he would ever have a peaceful sleep again.

Sora scooted over as Kairi made her way into his bed and into his arms. Her relaxation was almost instant and he heard her let out a breath of relief. As Sora stroked his best-friends hair, he thought about what scared both of them the most. They were terrified that the Heartless would return and tear apart the worlds again. There was no way to be sure the Heartless wouldn't return. Last week, a few gummi pieces had fallen out of the sky. When Kairi brought them to him in her excitement of finding something new, Sora ran. The gummi blocks were remnants of a shattered wall to a world.

"Do you ever sleep?" Kairi asked the question lightly, glancing up into Sora's eyes. Even through the dark he could make out her cerulean blue eyes that held all the beauty of the oceans in the worlds.

"I sleep through the nightmares." He shifted on his side so he could slide an arm around Kairi's waist, pulling her closer and breathing her in. He remembered sacrificing his heart to release her from Ansem's hold, becoming a Heartless himself. Sora shivered, pulling Kairi closer as if she could take away all the terrible memories that sent them on their twisted path.

"How do you think everyone you met is going back in their worlds?" Sora couldn't reply to this. He had met so many friends and allies on his path, and after Kingdom Hearts was sealed, the gateways to the worlds were closed. He could remember all his friends in Pride Lands, Atlantica, Neverland, even those in Halloween Town. He had promised Kairi that he would take her to all the worlds and visit all the friends he had made, but now it seemed unlikely. He hadn't seen any of his friends in a long time.

"I think they're well." A thought irked him…Had they forgotten him?

Silence spread throughout the room, only the sound of the ocean and their breathing mixed together. When the pair returned to Destiny Islands, it was quiet, nobody was there. Selphie, Tidus and Wakka, all friends of Sora and Kairi, were gone. The Kingdom Keys that Sora could conjure on moment's notice were out of his reach. He wasn't the Key Bearer anymore. Organisation XIII was no more. Everything was the way it should be. Yet it wasn't. The world felt empty without the adventures, without his allies Donald and Goofy fighting by his side. Sora missed fighting for something he loved, and he'd do it all over again as long as Kairi was safe.

Sora looked down at Kairi's now sleeping figure, her chest rising up and down with each breath. Time would never heal the wounds the Heartless left on both of them, yet he tried his best to heal her by welcoming her into his bed when she couldn't sleep, holding her close as if to protect her from anything that came their way.

As Sora's eyes began to slide shut, he paced a soft kissed on his friend's forehead. They knew how the other felt, they just needed time. Kairi stirred slightly in response to the kiss but didn't wake. With that, Sora drifted off into a much needed peaceful and dreamless slumber.

* * *

"Sora, wake up." The singsong voice filled the room. Sora opened his eyes to the blaring sun that quickly focused on his ocean eyed friend.

"Nice to see you slept well," He chided with a beginning of a smile pulling at his lips. She tackled him back down to the bed as he begun to sit up, taking the breath out of him.

"I always sleep well when I know you're protecting me." She planted a kiss on his cheek and rolled off his bed, bounding out of his room before he could say another word. He wiped the sleep out of his eyes before setting off to find Kairi.

Three years ago, the day after they returned home, he found her sitting on the edge of the pier, legs dangling in the water and catching the rays of the morning sun. Even after so long, she still came here. "How is it that you are always here in the morning?" The question left his lips before he considered asking the question. She froze, caught off-guard by his question.

"Some mornings, while Riku and I let you sleep in, we could sit right here and talk about everything. We shared our hopes and dreams and we would watch the rising sun." Her shoulders slumped over and she lifted her legs out of the water, bringing her knees to her chest. "Sometimes, when I sit here long enough, it's almost like he's here next to me."

Sora sat down next to her, snaking his arm around her shoulder and pulling her against him. "I miss him, too." She sniffed, leaned into him and closed her eyes. "One day, we'll find a way to see him again."

"Anyway," Kairi rose to her feet and offered her hand to Sora, "We have some fishing to do today."

* * *

**Even though I love Kingdom Hearts to bits, I never sought to venture into the fanfiction world. Turns out there's a lot of people writing in this section. Please leave any tips or just comments in general because it keeps me writing. Thanks guys. **


	2. Storms

It was quiet travelling between the worlds. The gummi ship swayed like a ship in the seas, turning every once in a while to avoid a stray asteroid. The ship had been between all the words, had carried the most important people in the universe. Right now, King Mickey and his fellow companions, Goofy and Donald, were venturing to Destiny Islands to find Sora. It had been many a year since the friends met, since they had last battled the Heartless to defeat the evil. During the small period of peace Donald, Goofy and the King had returned to Disney Castle to rest and reign once more. Although, as the third year of peace passed, something strange had begun to happen. The days began darker and darkness soon battered against the walls that protected the castle. To the King's shock, The Cornerstone of Light had dimmed and was growing weaker, allowing slivers of darkness to enter the world. All too soon, the Cornerstone shattered completely and Disney Castle was left completely defenceless.

"Do you think Queen Minnie and Daisy will be okay?" Goofy directed the question at Mickey in regards of the protection of his queen. The King's ears twitched and he gripped the controls of the gummi ship tightly.

"I hope so. I'm trusting Hercules will look after them in his world." Mickey had hoped he left his wife and friend in a world that was furthest from the darkness. He remembered the tears in her eyes when he withdrew from their hug, how his own began to mist. He didn't know where to start this time. He didn't know who was harnessing the darkness now, which was creating the Heartless to steal the hearts of others. Kingdom Hearts was sealed, but that didn't stop anyone from trying to open it again.

As Mickey, Donald and Goofy passed the worlds they saved so long ago, they noticed the darkness growing around them. It pulsated with a thick, dark power that had reminded him of the darkness Ansem held around him. Port Royal was nearly covered completely in darkness and it wouldn't be soon until the protecting walls around them would shatter. Mickey was tempted to call upon his Kingdom Key to remind him there was still a way to fight the Heartless, but it wasn't the key that could seal the door to Kingdom Hearts if someone was trying to open it again. So many of the keys had disappeared when the door was sealed, and only few were accessible. Mickey wondered if Sora could still call upon his own Keyblade. He shook the thought from his mind; he would ask Sora when he saw him, back on Destiny Islands. All Keybaldes had one signature ability, and that was the power to open or close any lock or door, be it to a physical object, to the heart of person or world, or to a gate or pathway between worlds.

"How long until we can see Sora?" Donald's voice piped up behind him with a mix of excitement and distress.

"Another days flight by gummi ship, but prepare for the worst, because we don't know if the darkness has reached there yet."

King Mickey thought back on his past while he let the gummi ship sail. When he was young, he had worked as a deckhand with Pete. He didn't realise back then who Sora, Donald and Goofy were until they came tumbling into his world. He watched them fight from a distance and he learned of the Keyblade and sought out someone to teach him how to wield it. Yen Sid had become his teacher at the Mysterious Tower and there he underwent the Mark of Mastery Exam. He ran away afterwards, using a Star Shard that allowed him to travel throughout the other worlds. When the worlds had started blinking out one by one, Mickey had known that soon all the worlds would soon vanish, including his own.

Although, when all of it happened again and his world crumbled under the darkness, Mickey knew it was happening all over again. They would need to find Sora and then travel to Hollow Bastion to ask Leon if he had picked up anything. Mickey shivered and rubbed his hands against the black coat that covered in arms, but it wasn't the cold he was shivering against. Light and dark were out of balance again, and he needed to find a way to set it right.

* * *

"So…why are we fishing again?" Sora tugged on his pole, his face forming into a frown as he hadn't caught any fish in the past half hour. The sea gently rocked the boat that he and Kairi sported, yet not enough to send them tipping over. Dark storm clouds were forming over the horizon. They were also a clear sign that something was wrong. He looked over at Kairi who was staring at the clouds, worry etched on her face. She drew her eyes from the sight as she turned to face him.

"We're fishing because we need something to eat for dinner." She poked her tongue out at him and he laughed before returning the gesture.

"Well, we better finish up soon before the storm catches up to us." He looked down at the bucket of fish they had caught together. "Plus, we seem to have enough fish to feed an army." Sora reeled in his line, placing it down beside him and grabbing the oars of the boat. Kairi did the same before easing backwards, closing her eyes to shade them against the sun. He looked down at her and grinned. "So you're going to make me do all the work?"

She peeked at him from under one eyelid with a hidden grin. "I caught all the fish so I deserve a break."

"I caught one!" Sora retorted.

"You threw it back though, chucklehead." She slapped her hand against her forehead and let out a string of laughter.

"Because it was too small…" As Sora drifted off he already knew there was no point in trying to win this match.

"Could have made fish stew with it." She closed her eyes with a smile and Sora gave up with a shake of his head.

While rowing home, Sora took the chance to take in the full beauty of his friend. Mickey had told him the full story of Kairi. She was born in Radiant Garden, where she had lived with her grandmother. One day, she was chased by a group Unversed and she met Aqua, who had sensed a pure light in her heart. Mickey had arrived to help fight the Unversed and also sensed the light in her heart. After the fight, Aqua put a protective charm on Kairi's necklace and tells her, "One day when you're in trouble, the light within you will lead you to the light of another, someone to keep you safe." A year later when Radiant Garden was shrouded by darkness, Kairi appeared on Destiny Islands during a meteor shower where Riku and Sora found her floating in the water on the beach. Mickey had told Sora that her safe arrival was due to the protective spell Aqua had cast on her necklace the year before. She didn't belong on this world and he knew that, but she had nowhere else to go now.

Sora looked up at the storm clouds again and let out a handful of curses. The storm was heading their way too fast, almost two thirds of the way there. He could hear the cracking of thunder and lightning and he pushed himself to row the boat towards the shore. The winds were starting to pick up, harshly picking up the sea water and throwing it against his face. As waves began rocking the boat more, Kairi sat up and began watching the storm roll in.

"Something bad is happening, isn't it?" Sora looked into her eyes and he remembered what he promised himself. He was never going let anything or anyone hurt her. Even if the darkness had returned, he would fight for her till his very last breath.

"Yes," He trailed off for a moment. "But I'm not going to let anything hurt you." She drew her eyes towards his, shining with unshed tears. She leaned forward to hug him but decided against it as it would most likely send them tumbling into the sea.

When Sora reached the pier, Kairi jumped up onto it to tie the boat in place. She then took the bucket of fish from Sora's outstretched hand before he scrambled out of the boat himself. Together they speed walked back to large carved out trees where they lived, slamming the door shut behind them. Kairi tipped the fish into a large tub of seawater before placing the empty bucket beside them, making her way to Sora's room. She saw him staring out the window into the sky, watching clouds tumble one another, racing towards the island. His figure slouched over before reaching across the closing the window before drawing the curtains close. The ferocious wind rattled the window, as if begging to be let in.

Sora took in a deep breath before turning around and meeting Kairi's oceanic eyes with his own blue ones. He walked up to her and pulled her into his arms, dipping his head down so his lips rested against the curve of her neck where it met with her shoulder. He could smell the scent of the sea lingering on her skin, as well as the sweetness of the paopu fruit they had shared the other day. She smelt like home, their home, the one that had been covered in darkness and brought back into the light.

"We need to keep the lights on." His lips brushed against her skin as he whispered his words to her. She nodded, reaching up and sliding her fingers through his dark brown hair. They both knew what keeping the lights on meant. For the first year of balance between light and dark, during the night they would always keep the lights on, afraid that the darkness would bring the Heartless into the room. The journey left the biggest impact on their lives, but Kairi lives and breathes, so Sora accepted all of it, as long as his friend was safe. The two withdrew from the hug and began lighting the lamps that sat around his room. Once the room was well lit, they both lay down on his bed, taking comfort in each other's arms.

"Can you sing me a song, Kairi?" The light that filled the room flickered across Sora's face. Kairi smiled up at him and closed her eyes for a moment, trying to think of a song to sing.

"In you and I there's a new land,  
Angels in flight,  
My sanctuary, my sanctuary, yeah  
Where fears and lies melt away,  
Music will tie,  
What's left of me,  
What's left of me now." Her voice drifted off as the lyrics had lost themselves within her mind. She rested her head across his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heart. Sora wrapped his arms around her, holding her close against him. Above them, the window whistled through the canopy, high pitched squeals that made them want to cover their ears with pillow.

"Try getting some sleep," Sora mumbled as he closed his eyes. He wanted to ignore all that was going on around them, he wanted the peace they had last year. Why did the gummi blocks fall from the sky? Why did the appearance of these items mean the end of everything? Maybe Sora had been overreacting…

Outside, the clouds had finally cast over the island, sending it into darkness like it had so many years before. Waves battered at the shore, threatening to detach the boats from the pier and sending them tumbling into the dangerous sea. Lightning, thunder and darkness clashed together in the sky. The window rattled again.

* * *

Then all hell broke loose.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed the second chapter of the story. I'm really hoping to continue this multiple times a week but it depends on my schedule. I'll try and write at least 2k words each chapter so they're nice and long. Thanks guys.**


	3. Arendelle

"Kairi!" Sora yelled, running towards the open window and slamming it shut. All the candles had been blown out.

"Sora!" Kairi shouted from another room. Sora grabbed his wooden sword and ran out of his room, almost colliding head on with Kairi. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly against him.

"Where did you go?" He looked around the room, noticing how dark it was.

"I don't know, I just woke up and I wasn't with you." Sora stepped away from the hug and grabbed Kairi's hand. He briskly led her out of the house, not wanted to be anywhere claustrophobic and dark. Outside was just as bad. The wind threatened to pull them apart but Sora kept a strong grip on Kairi's hand his sword with the other. Together they walked across the beach being careful to stay out of the waves reach.

"…Sora, I think there's something behind us." He could barely hear her voice over the commotion. He turned around, pulling Kairi around until she stood behind him.

A dark figure slithered across the ground, racing towards them. Sora gripped his sword with both hanads and stood his ground. In moments it was right in front of him, quickly drawing itself up from the ground, taking shape. Sora knew there was no offensive way to destroy them and he had to play on the defensive side. He couldn't face the Heartless without a Keyblade.

"Sora…" Kairi's scream shook him to the core. He whirled around to find her facing two more Shadows. He dropped one hand from his sword to tap against hers, using one finger to point towards the ocean. A second later she sprinted across the sand, kicking up sand as he followed closely behind. The Shadows melted into the ground once more and began chasing the Key Bearer and the Princess of Heart.

Sora matched his friends stride, reaching out and taking her hand in his. As they reached the waves Sora let Kairi dive in ahead of him, turning around to face the Heartless. He couldn't let them take his world again.

The Shadows formed in front of him as he turned around. He let out an anguished cry, charged the Heartless fiends for all he was worth. He could hear Kairi calling to him from the treacherous waves. As long as they couldn't touch her, nothing else mattered.

"Stay back!" Sora bellowed at the Shadows. They hesitated at the look of the sword, before advancing when they realise it couldn't hurt them. One dashed towards him its claws stretching forward to strike. Sora lifted his sword and parried the blow that almost sent him tumbling backwards. He blocked each blow that came at him, one by one. He gritted his teeth as a stray claw slashed into this forearm, causing him to drop his sword.

"No…" Before he could lean forward to pick it up, the Heartless pushed him back and put themselves between him and the only object that would save his life. He turned around, cupping his injured arm in pain. The sea lapped around his ankles, as if begging for him to enter the sea. He granted its wishes and began running into its welcoming depths. But something was wrong. He couldn't hear Kairi calling from the ocean, nor could he see hear floating on top of the waves.

"Kairi, where are you?" Fear coursed through his veins. What if she was drowning? What if she was already dead? His eyes welled up with tears as he dived under the crashing waves. They pushed down on him, dragging him against the sand, burning his skin as he tried to take control of where he was going. He managed to pull himself above the water, looking around in search for his friend.

There was a small glow not far from him. He knew it had to be her. If she was truly made of pure light, then it had to be Kairi, there was no other explanation. He barrelled through the waves, diving under as they crashed down on top of him. He caught sight of his red haired friend, falling underneath the water. He could see her furiously kicking up towards the surface, her mouth open in a silent scream. Something was pulling her down.

Sora took in a deep breath, diving down into the depths of the ocean to chase after Kairi. This ocean wasn't the colour of her eyes. The water seemed tainted by the darkness that had overcome the world. He reached towards her hand, locking their fingers together and began swimming towards the surface as hard as he could. Kairi somehow freed herself from her mystery attacked and together the swum towards the surface. The broke into the waves, gasping for air and hugging each other while trying to tread water at the same time.

"I thought I had lost you for good." Sora reached up and caressed her face, unable to believe he had saved her this time. Out of his relief, he gently pressed his lips against her own, a warmth filling his heart as she returned the kiss. All too soon a wave crashed over them and sent them spiralling under the water again.

They held each other while immersed, both realising they couldn't stay in the water forever. Kairi closed her eyes and pleaded that they find a way out of this mess. As her lungs began to lose too much oxygen she pleaded even harder. She opened her eyes and looked at Sora one last time before her vision slowly faded into black.

There was a blinding light and within a blink, Sora and Kairi disappeared from Destiny Islands.

* * *

_"What…Where am I?" Sora floated in a dark area, his eyes were open but all he could see was black._

_"Key Bearer, where is your Keyblade?" The voice echoed around him. Keyblade… the thought triggered something within Sora's mind._

_"My Keyblade, the Kingdom Key, right?" Sora didn't know who he was asking the question to._

_"Yes, Key Bearer, do you know where it is?"_

_Sora looked at his hands in distress as he remembered the fight he had with the Heartless, how the Keyblade didn't come to his aid. "It doesn't answer to me anymore, do you know why?"_

_"It was destroyed in your final battle, Sora. Yet its fragments remain in you. Look deep within yourself and find your light, whether it be in your heart or another's and you will form a new Keyblade."_

_Sora felt himself starting to fall down, or was it up? "How do I do that?"_

_"You must figure that out for yourself, young Key Bearer." The voice had started to fade._

_"Wait!" Sora called out, "Why did the darkness come back to my world?"_

_"Because, a world swallowed by darkness can summon the darkness. Darkness had tainted the heart of your world, and it called out to the darkness. I must leave you now, Key Bearer, but it is not yet time for you to leave this universe."_

_"But I have so much to as-"_

* * *

"Hey. Wake up! Hello," The sound of an eccentric voice brought Sora to the world of the living again. He groaned before coughing up a mixture of sea water the blood. "Oh gross, that doesn't look good."

He opened his eyes to a slender woman dressed in magenta cape with glittering green eyes. She had her long strawberry-blonde hair tied into two pigtails that sported a platinum blonde streak on the right side of her hair.

"Oh good, you're alive." She grinned at him, grabbing his hand and pulling him to his feet. "Aren't you cold?" Sora looked around the noticed it was snowing around him and that he was in fact freezing… until a certain red headed figure caught his eye. He flung himself forward, pushing his way through a large bush until he stumbled upon the sleeping body of Kairi. He lifted her into his lap, holding her close. She coughed, pulling over to the side of him and exerted the saltwater that had entered her lungs. Her blue eyes opened and met his own, giving him a weak smile.

The woman he met before treaded over to them, kneeling beside Sora and Kairi, giving them a strange look. "I don't mean to be rude but… Where did you two come from? And who are you?" Sora lifted Kairi and they sat on their knees to face the woman.

Kairi took in a rattle breath, leaning against Sora for warmth against the cold. "Do you think we could get somewhere warmer first?" The woman nodded and raised to her feet, taking off in a random direction. Sora stood up before behind down to pick up Kairi, holding her close to his chest, wincing as his wound pained him. While he followed the woman, he pondered on the dream he had before she had woken him up. What did it mean by '_Look deep within yourself and find your light, whether it be in your heart or another's and you will form a new Keyblade.' _He didn't understand, did he lose the light he held so dearly in his heart? Was it gone, or merely hidden from his sight?

All thoughts vanished as they reached a small cabin, quickly moving inside to get out of the cold. There wasn't much there, a fireplace was flickering in the corner of the room with a warm rug nearby, a small table with a few chairs and a cot on the other side of the room. He gently laid Kairi nearby the fire in hopes to warm her up, before sitting down next to her to stop himself from shivering.

"So, who are you?

Sora met the woman's gaze. All he could see in her green eyes was a curiosity beyond measure. He drew in a breath, "My name is Sora, and this is Kairi. This may seem weird but, we came from another world…" Her eyes widened in surprise.

"My name is Anna, how come you're in Arendelle and not where you came from?" She looked down at the now sleeping figure of Kairi before adverting her gaze back to Sora who seemed complacent with her question.

"The Darkness took our world and we just…ended up here I guess." Anna became confused when he mentioned the Darkness.

"Darkness is an existing force parallel to light. It steals people's hearts and their souls become something we call Heartless. Three years ago my friends and allies defeated the darkness and everything has been in balance, until now. The worlds are slowly being swallowed by darkness again and I'm not sure why."

Anna nodded along to his words, taking in each word and storing it in her mind. "So these… Heartless, I think they've been in the area." Sora's heartbeat flared and his throat constricted. So they were in Arendelle as well…

"When did they start appearing?"

"When my sister, Elsa, ran off and created the snow." Sora's look of confusion made her realise that he didn't know what had happened. "Elsa was crowned the Queen of Arendelle yesterday and we made have had a little fight," She displayed the size with her fingers, "And she threw ice at the party guests and ran off. When she did that it grew cold and it started snowing."

Sora seemed to understand what she was trying to explain, but he couldn't connect how that would cause the Heartless to appear. "So what happened after she ran off?"

"Well, I followed after her and left my true love, Prince Hans, in charge of Arendelle until I bring back Elsa."

"Sora?" Kairi sat herself up and looked around the room before meeting his gaze. She fell into his embrace, letting him pull her onto his lap.

"Anna, we'll help you find your sister so she can fix this winter." Elsa may have caused the snow, but something bugged him when Anna mentioned that Prince Hans was watching Arendelle.

She grinned brightly. "Really? Thank you so much, now it'll be easier to find her and bring her back home. I'll be right back, I'll run to the shop and buy you guys some winter clothes because you won't survive walking around in what you're wearing now." With a flourish, she ran out of the cabin and left Sora and Kairi alone.

"I can't believe we're alive, I thought we were done for…" Kairi trailed off, burying her head into his chest. She blushed as she reminded herself of the kiss she and Sora shared before they were thrown below the depths of the water.

"Neither can I," Sora choked on the last word, tears forming in his eyes. "I was so scared of losing you, I thought I couldn't save you this ti-," A pair of lips cut him off, stopping him from finishing the sentence. A moment later, Kairi pulled away from the kiss, a sweet, sad smile on her face.

"What matters is that we're here now, and as long as we have each other, the darkness can never destroy us."

* * *

**I actually became excited at the thought of adding in my own new Disney movies as worlds so I picked 'Frozen' as my first choice! I hope you guys enjoyed it. Feel free to leave a comment or favourite the story to you get updated for each new chapter. Thank you.**


	4. Ice Breaker

Sora and Kairi lay in front of the fire. Silence had taken over the room except from the crackling of the fire. Sora was buried in his thoughts, confused by what was happening. He was in a new world that he had never heard of before called Arendelle, and he was stuck there without a Keyblade. His own world, Destiny Islands, was swallowed by darkness, and Sora wasn't sure if it was ever going to come back this time. What he questioned most was; who was talking to him in his dream?

"Hey, Kairi?" Sora looked down at his friend that had been gazing into the flames. She drew her eyes away and met his. "Did you have a dream before you woke up here?" She shook her head with a look of questioning in her eyes. Sora took in a breath and explained his strange dream.

"They obviously want to help you? Maybe it could be the spirit of Ansem…" She trailed off but they both knew it was impossible, and the voice was one Sora couldn't recognise. She stood up and sat down on the bed, staring up at the wooden ceiling. "You just have to find your light and you'll make a new Keyblade, right?"

"I don't even know how I'm even going to find my light, that's the problem. I tried back at home when we first got back." Sora pulled his knees to his chest. He seemed too big for it now but it made him feel like he was holding himself together.

The door burst open, letting in a sheer wind followed by two figures. Sora rushed over to Kairi's side but soon relaxed when it was Anna returning from the store. The man behind her was tall with golden blond hair and light brown eyes. He wore a thick, dark tunic on top of a blue undershirt and trousers, dressed for the weather. Anna dumped what she was carrying and turned to the pair with an excited look in her eyes. Sora eyed the furs on the ground and breathed a sigh of relief; at least Kairi and himself weren't going to freeze the moment they stepped outside now. The man spoke to someone outside the door before closing it shut and facing the room.

"I found us a guide to reach Elsa! Everyone meet Kristoff." She motioned her hands towards him as if presenting a prize they had won. "I kind of stumbled into him at the shop and he said he would help us." Sora noticed Kristoff had rolled his eyes when Anna told the story.

Sora stepped forward to introduce himself. "I'm Sora, and this is Kairi." Kairi nodded politely at Kristoff as Sora shook his hand.

"So how did Anna convince you to help find her sister?" He shot a shrewd look at Anna before looking back at Sora expectantly.

"She didn't try and convince us…" Sora trailed off. "We just, offered to help out I guess?" Kristoff's eyes shot up in slight surprise.

There was a short moment of silence but Kristoff took that time to survey the cabin and everyone in it. Anna was looking somehow expectedly between everyone as if she was waiting for someone. "So," Kristoff started, looking at Sora and Kairi's clothing, "How are you out here wearing that?" He nodded towards their island clothes. They both started pulling at them as though checking them over. Kairi still wore her favourite pink zip dress with the white singlet underneath whereas Sora still wore his normal clothing except for black shorts instead of red.

"Because they came from another world," Anna blurted out before they could say anything. She covered her mouth with her hands and looked at them in shock. "Whoops. I don't think I was meant to say that, was I?" Sora looked at her and grinned a little. Kristoff looked at them like they had fallen out of the sky, which in one way or another, they did. "Anyway," Anna took the grin as a sign to continue, "Sora and Kairi came from another world because the Darkness destroyed theirs and they ended up here...somehow."

Kristoff froze for a moment. "Wait, does this darkness have anything to do with the shadow creatures that have been around the area?" Sora nodded and Kristoff let himself fall onto the bed. "Those things are weird, I hit one with my pickaxe and it disappeared and this…heart rose out of its body."

"Wait; let me see your pickaxe?" A pickaxe couldn't possibly destroy the heartless unless it was enchanted or a new type of Keyblade, Sora thought to himself. Kristoff tugged at an item that was hanging off his waist before passing it to Sora. It had a light blue handle with a crystal blade that bent to make it appear like a pick. The handle guard looked like joined snowflakes. On the edge of the blade had the inscription '_Ice Breaker_'. "How did you come across this?"

"A few years ago when I was collecting ice, someone came up to me and asked if wanted someone more powerful to harvest it, so I said yes. Then he did this weird ritual and gave it to me." Kristoff gazed at his Keyblade so Sora handed it back to him, remembering that he was never given his last Keyblade by anyone. Sora had just as much potential as Riku did, and a stronger heart. He lacked only the ceremony because Terra had performed the ritual on Riku and not him, but the Keyblade chose him instead because Riku had opened the Door to Darkness and destroyed the Destiny Islands the first time. Sora's heart became stronger than Riku's at the moment, so the Keyblade had chosen him instead.

"Anyway, I think we should all get some sleep, we need to head off early tomorrow morning." Anna yawned, falling on the bed and staring up at the ceiling. Sora shrugged and grabbed the furs and coats from the ground and placed them neatly on the ground to create a makeshift bed for himself and Kairi. Kristoff followed suit and did the same with his own before laying down on his side. The moment Kairi lay down, Sora wrapped an arm around her waist and held her close. He was shivering, but wasn't from the cold. He was thankful that they were safe and warm, he couldn't ask for anything more at that moment.

"Goodnight, Kairi." He kissed her on the cheek and fell asleep to the sound of the crackling fire and Kairi's soft breathing.

* * *

_"Key Bearer!" Sora's eyes snapped open in his dream. He found himself once more swimming in the everlasting darkness._

_"Yes?" He responded to his title._

_"Have you tried to call upon your new Key Blade?" The voice boomed around him. Sora squinted, trying to make something out in the darkness that surrounded him. There was nothing to be seen._

_"No, I don't know what you meant before. And how are you talking to me in my dream?"_

_"Because, Key Bearer, I am you. We are a part of the same whole. You are piece of me as I am a piece of you." Sora shook his head and tried to wrap his head around it._

_"I don't understand that…" Sora trailed off._

_"What do all Key Bearers share in common?"_

_Sora leaned back and let his body float in the darkness. He had to think about that one question. "Can't you tell me the answer?" He could hear a rumble of laughter that caused the air around him to vibrate. "I guess I have to figure out that for myself as well?"_

_"Yes, Key Bearer. I will meet you soon, at the Door of Awakening."_

_"Door of Awakening… Where is that?" _

_"The Door of Awakening is the opening to this galaxy, to control the worlds. This is where light and dark fight their eternal battle, to either bring peace or wreak havoc." The voice started to fade and Sora once again started falling again. This time he didn't call out to ask another question, he simply accepted that he had to figure everything out himself._

* * *

_Earlier_

"Oh no…" The interior of the gummi ship grew cold as Mickey and companions took in the sight of Destiny Islands.

"Do you think they could still be there?" Goofy, the optimist, questioned from the back. Mickey guided the controls of the ship so they slowly descended into the world.

"There's only one way to really find out."

Donald and Goofy strapped themselves in their seats for the bumpy ride down. The ship shuddered underneath the darkness and they lost power altogether. "Hold on!" Donald yelled to everyone, although there wasn't much to hold onto. The spiralled towards the raging sea until Mickey pulled at the controls so they lurched forward and onto the sand of the beach. They stumbled out of the ship and onto the sand, taking a view at the full catastrophe. Shadows appeared from the ground in front of them and they each pulled out their weapons and attacked them until they disappeared and a heart floated away from their view. They were running towards the house until a brilliant light flashed from the ocean which turned their attention away.

"You don't think that was -?" Donald started.

"I have a feeling it was," Mickey finished for him, a grimace pulling at his lips. He didn't know whether to feel relieved or annoyed that Sora had made it out of world because now they had no idea where he could be.

"Quick, fellas, lets head back to the ship and warp to Hollow Bastion, we need to see Leon as quick as possible."

The three started making their way back to the gummi ship. The power had come back on the gummi ship and they embarked without a glance back. They had to find out who was doing all of this and there was no time to waste.

"I still can't believe the darkness had taken over Destiny Islands so quickly." Goofy was stunned with how the world was already nearly completely gone.

"Because there was no one defending it from the darkness, as long as someone is always fighting, darkness can never completely destroy a world. With Sora gone, it'll only be time until it is swallowed completely." Mickey reached towards the console and scrolled through a short list of worlds before landing on 'Hollow Bastion.' He pressed the warp button and the galaxy around them shifted and spun until they were no more.

_ssssss…..POP!_

"Are we there?" Donald looked up over the panel and at the world in front of them.

"Oh no…" Mickey said for the second time that day.

* * *

_Where light and dark fight their eternal battle… _The words drifted through Sora's mind as he was awoken from his deep slumber. He opened his eyes to meet Anna's shining blue eyes.

She grinned. "Are you ready for an adventure?" Sora groaned, pushing her out of his way as he sat up. He went on an adventure years ago, and although he had yearned for more, he didn't expect another one so soon; and one when he was defenceless against the Heartless. At least with Kristoff they had some sort of protection against them. And once they found Elsa, they would be able to defeat the Darkness in the world then seal it. The only problem was figuring out how to create a new Key Blade. His hand automatically clenched when he remembered his Key Blade, the cool metal against his palm, swinging it to defeat the Heartless and protect his friends. Kairi was already shrugging on a few layers and a pair of boots when he stood up. He did the same, pulling on a heavy tunic, clock, winter boots that were one size too big and gloves. He felt like a marshmallow. He checked himself over before walking over to Anna.

"I'm ready for an adventure."

And he was.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed chapter four of 'Deep Within The Darkness' as I am thoroughly enjoying writing it. Please RnR. Thanks.**


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